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Best home theater speakers

(Nov 19, 2009)

Matthew Moskovciak Matthew Moskovciak

Home-theater sound requires matching speakers for the best experience, but finding complementary individual speakers can be a pain--especially in the wallet. Complete home-theater speaker packages take out the guesswork since they include a full set of matching surround speakers. Pair any of these speaker sets with a good AV receiver and Blu-ray player, and you'll have a home theater system that's a step above all-in-one HTIBs. Most of them include subwoofers, but for those that don't, check out our best subwoofers list.

>> See all recent surround sound speaker system reviews

Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD

Anchored by its minitower speakers, the Aperion Intimus 4T Hybrid SD is an exceptional surround speaker system that ably combines good looks and superior sound.

Price: $1,569.00 (check prices)

Review date: Aug 11, 2008

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.8 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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KEF KHT-3005

KEF's stunningly styled egg-shaped speaker package, the KHT-3005, boasts audiophile-quality sound for music and impressive home-theater performance.

Price: $1,499.00 - $1,749.95 (check prices)

Review date: Jun 6, 2006

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.8 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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Aperion Intimus 5B Harmony SD

Aperion's awesome 5.1 speaker system is pricey, but the Intimus 5B Harmony SD's great sound and superb build quality are definitely worth it.

Price: $1,749.00 (check prices)

Review date: May 16, 2008

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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Energy RC-Micro 5.1

The Energy Speakers RC-Micro 5.1 speaker system delivers superb sound quality from incredibly tiny speakers.

Price: $599.00 - $599.99 (check prices)

Review date: Nov 11, 2008

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.6 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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Mirage MX 5.1

Innovative engineering solutions propel Mirage's MX 5.1 Home Theater System to the top spot in the small system/big sound sweepstakes.

Price: $1,199.94 (check prices)

Review date: Feb 20, 2009

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.4 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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KEF KHT 5005.2

KEF's KHT-5005.2 is one of the few surround speaker packages to coax audiophile sound from lifestyle-friendly speakers and a subwoofer.

Price: $2,095.00 - $2,199.95 (check prices)

Review date: Jun 4, 2007

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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Definitive Technology ProCinema 800

The powerful Definitive Technology ProCinema 800 satellite/subwoofer package redefined our expectations of what a small surround speaker system can do.

Price: $1,199.00 (check prices)

Review date: Jul 17, 2008

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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KEF FiveTwo Series Model 11

While their surround effects fall a bit short of the best we've heard, KEF's beautifully crafted FiveTwo Series Model 11 speakers produce five channels of sound with exceptional audiophile-grade clarity.

Price: $1,799.99 - $2,000.00 (check prices)

Review date: Jan 29, 2007

  • 4 stars

      Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

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KEF FiveTwo Series Model 7

KEF's FiveTwo Series Model 7 system produces audiophile-grade surround sound from two speakers--that's a rare compliment for a virtual-surround system.

Price: $799.77 - $1,198.99 (check prices)

Review date: Jan 24, 2007

  • 3h stars

      Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)

Very good

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Definitive Technology ProCinema 600

The Definitive Technology ProCinema 600 surround speakers pack a mighty wallop for their small size, but the system needs some extra care during setup to sound its best.

Price: $799.00 (check prices)

Review date: Apr 10, 2008

  • 3h stars

      Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)

Very good

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Cerwin-Vega CVHD 5.1

Cerwin-Vega refers to itself as "the loud speaker company," and its extraordinary CVHD 5.1 system makes good on that promise--but the lack of included stands will mean an extra expense for most users.

Price: Sorry, pricing not available

Review date: Jun 8, 2007

  • 3h stars

      Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)

Very good

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Fluance SX-HTB

You can't beat Fluance's rock-bottom pricing, solid construction, and sound quality, which rivals that of more expensive speakers.

Price: $299.99 (check prices)

Review date: Feb 2, 2005

  • 3h stars

      Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)

Very good

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Fluance AV-HTB

This five-piece home-theater speaker package offers shockingly good sound for a mere $199.

Price: $199.99 (check prices)

Review date: Mar 31, 2003

  • 3h stars

      Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)

Very good

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Boston Acoustics CS2310C

Highly detailed sound is the key strength of Boston Acoustics' CS2310 system, but it lacks the muscle to make home theater come alive.

Price: $604.95 - $749.99 (check prices)

Review date: Jan 23, 2009

  • 3 stars

      Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)

Good

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